West Ham United winger Mohammed Kudus has had an eventful beginning to the 2024/25 season under new manager Julen Lopetegui.
He has zero goal contributions in six Premier League matches so far and his campaign hit a new low after the winger got substituted at half-time in the Hammers’ recent 1-1 draw against Brentford.
As per The Athletic, Kudus was actually involved in a heated argument with Lopetegui before his substitution.
The Spanish manager was reportedly unhappy with Kudus’ performance and criticized him in front of his teammates with some choice of words in the dressing room. The 24-year-old also bit back by speaking on his own behalf as he felt the criticism was unjust.
Despite rumours swirling that Lopetegui and Kudus had to be separated by teammates, the Ghanaian’s entourage have denied that.
But the 24-year-old has sparked some speculation after making a surprise appearance for Arsenal’s recent Champions League clash against PSG, which they won by a 2-0 margin.
The Hammers’ winger was pictured by some fans to be in the stadium to watch the game.
He came with some of his mates to enjoy the Champions League action, but his presence sparked wild rumors in the Arsenal fanbase.
Many Gooners take this as an early sign that Kudus might be pushing to sign for the Gunners and is doing some ‘early scouting’ on the club.
Some have even pointed out how Riccardo Calafiori was seen attending an Arsenal game last season before his move in the summer window.
There is also speculation brewing of whether Kudus is actually an Arsenal fan and just wanted to check them out days after that disappointing outing against Brentford.
But there is no real proof that shows Kudus being a Gooner.
While he has named Arsenal legend Thierry Henry as one of his all-time favorite players, that doesn’t insinuate him loving that club.
He has never really spoken about Arsenal in fanboy fashion in any past interview or given any indication towards his admiration for the club.
Earlier this year, in an interview with Sky Sports, Kudus revealed that his childhood favorite club was a Ghana club called Accra Hearts of OAK. They play in the Ghana Premier League and Kudus explained: ‘I supported a team called Hearts of OAK. The atmosphere in their games was crazy. It’s in the city I grew up in, in the capital of Ghana.”
Later on, Kudus also indicated that Barcelona was his favorite European club while growing up and his love for the club was because of Lionel Messi.
Of course, the 24-year-old’s current ‘favorite club’ is the one he’s playing for. But he actually admitted to have rejected a potential move to Arsenal in 2023 before joining West Ham United.
In an interview with the Guardian, when a journalist asked him if he did reject the Gunners to join their London rivals, Kudus revealed: “All the clubs you mentioned, it’s true they were in contact. But when West Ham came it moved fast and I made my decision based on speaking to people around the club, their project and how they see me as a player. I made the decision based on my gut feeling. That’s how I make my decisions. Whatever the ramifications are, I take it upon myself.”
If he was really an Arsenal fan, then Kudus probably wouldn’t have rejected them to join a rival team instead.
While the exact reason for him attending the Arsenal match is still unknown, a West Ham fan has given a logical explanation.
A Hammers supporter has indicated that Kudus probably attended the match to support his fellow Ghana teammate Thomas Partey, who impressed against PSG.
Irrespective of the reason, at least Kudus was able to enjoy an evening full of entertainment with his trip to the Emirates Stadium.
He’ll now hope that refreshing outing helps inspire his own improvement in form and help him start contributing goals on a regular basis once again.
